Colonial Service, now a doomed institution, with the Empire's colonies being ceded to new independent nations in Africa. He meets his older self in 1956 in Africa and learns of the truth of time-travel. He helps his older self to escape from Africa amid the chaos, and returns to London, where the story ends with their last meeting many years later. Winterset notes in the Times newspaper "the sale of the single known example of the 1856 magenta British Guiana" stamp, known to have been owned in 1956 by the Otherhood, and realises that time-travel means that his story is still vulnerable to being re-written. Analysis As noted by critic Susan Young: Awards The story won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 1990. Publication history Novelty: Four Stories, 1989 The Great Work of Time, 1992, publisher: Spectra, Novelties & Souvenirs: Collected Short Fiction, 2004, publisher: Harper Perennial, A Science Fiction Omnibus, 2007, edited by Brian Aldiss, publisher: Penguin books, References Further reading Review of Great Work of Time. Reviews several books by Crowley 1989 short stories Science fiction short stories Fantasy short stories Short fiction about time travel British Empire Alternate history short stories World War I alternate histories World Fantasy Award for Best Novella winners Cultural depictions of Cecil Rhodes 1980s science fiction works